Business Rates

Business rates is the term commonly used for non-domestic rates which are charged on most non-domestic premises, including most commercial properties such as shops, offices, pubs, warehouses and factories.

This may include properties not occupied by businesses, or rooms set aside for business within an otherwise domestic dwelling. Business rates are set nationally and collected locally.

How to pay

Standing Order/BACs transfer. Or pay at the bank.The Council's bank is HSBC. The sort code is 40-22-26 and the bank account number 21850652. You must quote your 10 digit business rate account number to ensure payment goes directly to your account. Payment is due by the 2nd of the month.

How your bill is calculated

The formula for calculating your bill is set by central government. Your premises will be given a rateable value by the Valuation Office Agency which we use to calculate how much you should pay. We work out the bill by multiplying the rateable value of the property by a figure set annually by central government (known as a multiplier). Where Transitional Phasing applies we then apply this.

There are two multipliers for 2019/20:

The standard non-domestic rating multiplier which is 50.4p in the pound.

The small business non-domestic rating multiplier which is 49.1p in the pound.

There are two multipliers for 2018/19:

The standard non-domestic rating multiplier which is 49.3p in the pound.

The small business non-domestic rating multiplier which is 48.0p in the pound.

There are two multipliers for 2017/18:

The standard non-domestic rating multiplier which is 47.9p in the pound.

The small business non-domestic rating multiplier which is 46.6p in the pound.

All non-domestic properties have been revalued from 1 April 2017 based on rental values at the 1st of April 2015. More information on revaluation 2017 can be found at the Valuation Office Agency

Contacting us

You can write to us at Guildford Borough Council, Business Rates Department, Millmead House, Millmead, Guildford GU2 4BB or email. However we can often take information about changes over the telephone 0330 123 0081.

If you are acting on behalf of someone else, then you will need to provide documentation that shows that they have authorised you to do so.

Spring Budget 2017

On 8 March 2017 the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a number of measures to help businesses:

support for small businesses losing Small Business Rate Relief to limit increases in their bills to the greater of £600 or the real terms transitional relief cap for small businesses each year

providing English local authorities with funding to support £300 million of discretionary relief, to allow them to provide support to individual hard cases in their local area

a £1,000 business rate discount for public houses with a rateable value of up to £100,000, subject to state aid limits for businesses with multiple properties, for one year from 1 April 2017. This reduction ends on 31 March 2019.